Death of the Evo

Mitsubishi looks set to ditch its Lancer Evolution performance hero car in favour of a more environmentally sustainable option.

A statement from the brand posted on Facebook said the current Evolution X model is safe, but didn’t confirm whether a Evo XI model is on the cards.

“Production of the current Lancer Evolution continues as planned,” the statement said. “As for its successor, regulations and market feedback will dictate its engineering package and architecture. Stay tuned.”

As Drive has previously reported, the brand has said the next-generation Evolution would be hybrid-powered– fitting in with the brand’s claims it wants to launch eight electric or plug-in hybrid cars by 2015.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Motoring website Automotive News quotes the company’s US CEO Shinichi Kurihara as saying Mitsubishi isn’t likely to completely lose a “go-fast” car from its lineup, but hinted the car could be a product of the brand’s green focus.

“I think that kind of duality – eco-friendly and high performance – is very important for us,” Kurihara is quoted as saying. “But at this moment Mitsubishi doesn't have any kind of future answer."

New reports, however, suggest the next-generation Mitsubishi performance model could be a pure electric vehicle – following the lead of brands such as Tesla, with its performance-focused Roadster two-door, and Nissan, which recently showed off a new plug-in performance car concept,the Esflow.

‘Plug-in’ may not instantly register in your mind as synonymous with ‘performance’, but cars such as the Tesla embed their batteries low in the car’s body, keeping its centre of gravity low, while mounting the electric motor in the rear aids in evening out weight distribution. Kurihara says achieving that balance could bode well for a plug-in sports car.

"That kind of layout – lower center of gravity, front and rear weight distribution – is almost 50-50," Kurihara told Automotive News. "If we could get that kind of a [next-generation] battery … that could be that high-performance vehicle."